Seroepidemiologic Studies of Herpesvirus Type 2 and Carcinoma of the Cervix. II. Uganda<xref ref-type="fn" rid="FN2">2</xref>

Abstract

The occurrence of antibodies to herpesvirus type 2 was studied among women with cervical cancer, control women, and children in Uganda. Antibodies to the virus did not appear in the population until puberty. In addition to a difference in the reported experience with venereal diseases, antibody distribution appeared to differ among tribes. Ninety percent of Ganda women with cervical cancer and 71% of control women from the same tribe had herpesvirus type 2 antibodies. Among the non-Ganda women, 67% of patients with cervical cancer and 74% of controls had antibodies. The high occurrence of herpesvirus type 2 antibodies in this population does not distinguish between the hypotheses that the association between the virus and cancer is etiologic or that it is a covariable of sexual activity.